All Because of a Kitsune
by S. T. Nickolian
Summary: Kagome finds a kitsunemata that holds a secret and goes to her time with it bc of Inuyasha. Now she has the SD after her because of the fox! YYHxInu xover Kag?
1. Chapter 1

All Because of a Fox

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, obviously, and I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, sadly.

Kagome sat on her bed, her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. The red elemental kitsune at her side looked up at her with concern written on his animal face. She hadn't moved in what seemed like hours, though the tears had finally stopped falling, which could only be taken as a good sign. Her checks were still tearstained, so the kitsune jumped up on his hind legs a little to lick the stains away. He wanted to see her smile again.

The young miko turned and smiled at him sadly. The kitsune barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Someone in the heavens has a very cruel sense of humor, 'cause that is NOT what I meant!_ The look on her face make him want to kill then hanyou that had done this to her.

The two had come home to Kagome's era a while before, when it had just gotten dark and there had been a violet line along the horizon. Kagome had been crying the whole way through the well, each sob breaking a piece from the little youkai's heart.

They had just seen Inuyasha with her again.

Flashback

"We got lots of Shards this time, didn't we Kagome?" The said miko looked down at the adopted kit in her arms and smiled lovingly.

The shard hunters were finally heading back to their headquarters at Kaede's village after two and a half months of traveling across Japan. Kagome was grateful that they had come across Sesshomaru not too long ago, because if they hadn't, Inuyasha would have made them travel another month. Also, Kagome wouldn't have found the small fox that stood half on her backpack, and half on her shoulder, the setting sun reflecting off his crimson coat.

The fox was pretty much a kitsune form of Kirara, except for his slightly altered appearance. He was pure red with pale silvery blue markings on his feet and three tails, and a black star on his forehead. What Kagome loved most about him were his eyes; they matched the color of his markings, but they took the color of ice to a whole new level. They spoke of intelligence beyond what a simple kitsunemata is capable of. (AN: Alright, here is where I'm confused. I heard somewhere that Kirara is a nekomata, so if there was a fox form of her, it would be a kitsunemata, right? Help!)

His larger form was significantly bigger than Kirara, and, in Kagome's opinion, was much more imposing since he grows three more tails. She still hadn't figured out what his real name was, so she just called him 'Kitsune,' and he didn't seem to mind.

After two weeks, everyone was accustomed to Kitsune's presence, except for one certain inu hanyou with a subjugation rosary around his neck. Inuyasha had continued to accuse the elemental kitsune of being one of Naraku's servants, but everyone thought that he was just jealous of anyone that would get too close to _his_ Kagome.

The said miko was now gazing down at the glass bottle that hung around her neck. The pink crystal shards glowed at her touch. She had been traveling across time to collect the shards for a little over a year, and now she spent more time here then she did at home. Her friends from school seemed immature, naïve, and… well, boring; her best friends now consisted of a lecherous monk, a kitsune child, a nekomata, a kitsunemata, a lone taijiya, and an overprotective, selfish, arrogant, and temperamental hanyou.

Kagome was started out of her thoughts by Shippo jumping out of her arms to play with the village children. Before she could lower her arms, Kitsune had climbed into the cradle Shippo had vacated. He reached up to lick her face. Kagome smiled down at him, thinking of her two foxes.

"Ye are truly lucky, child." Kagome turned to see Kaede standing in front of her. The elder miko was smiling at Kitsune who gave a small yip of acknowledgment. "Ye always manage to find the best of friends; all kitsunes are loyal to those they find worthy, though this one seems to have traits of royal blood… strange." She said the last parts under her breath so only Kitsune heard. The fox gave the elderly miko a fox version of a smirk then laid down in Kagome's arms.

"Kaede, do you think Inuyasha would let me go home for a few days?" Kagome asked hopefully. She knew that even if he didn't, she would sit him until he couldn't stop her. She knew he would protest, but she continued to hope that he would finally let her without complaint.

"Ye can always try, but he isn't going to be happy about it." Kaede's smile faltered for a moment when she saw an eerie light shining from Inuyasha's forest. Kitsune started sneezing, solidifying Kaede's guess on where the hanyou suddenly disappeared to. "Perhaps it would be wise if ye just left without having to subdue Inuyasha until his back is thrown out."

Kitsune got a hold of his sneezing, but was still uncomfortable. He climbed back onto the miko's shoulder and nuzzled his nose into her hair, eliciting a giggle from her. He mentally smirked and breathed in her calming scent, ridding himself of the scent of death.

"No, I should at least tell him I'm leaving." Her tone of voice told the elder miko that there was no room for discussion. Kaede sighed and nodded, mumbling under her breath to the fox, while knowing that he could here her.

"Follow her as far as you can, she'll need some form of comfort after this." Kitsune gave a short nod and returned to making his new mistress laugh. He understood that Kagome would be upset with the baka hanyou; he didn't quite understand their relationship, as much as he didn't approve of it. The hanyou wasn't worthy of her.

After bidding everyone else a quick good bye, Kagome jogged over to the forest, Kitsune running behind her. "Go back to Shippo, Kitsune; you can't follow me." The miko stopped to watch him, hoping that he would listen to her. The defiant fox just jumped onto her shoulder and licked her face.

Sighing, at his persistence, she continued into the forest, hoping to find Inuyasha before too long, so she could get home. She didn't notice the slight tugging at her soul, though Kitsune somehow did and grew worried for her.

Kagome had a soft smile on her face as she thought of her family and the family that she hadn't seen in years that would be coming to see them soon. A frown slightly marred her fair features. _Yusuke better come this time; just because he has a job doesn't mean that he can get away with not seeing me._

If Kitsune could've scowled at her frown, he would have, so instead he stuck his nose in her ear, eliciting a burst of laughter from his mistress. "Kitsune!" She scolded the fax, but he only licked her cheek.

Kitsune jumped from her shoulder and ran around the small clearing, daring her to chase him. When she began to run after him, he picked up the pace playfully. Usually he was more serious, but with her, he was carefree, though all his instincts warned him against it.

After a few minutes of playing tag, Kitsune suddenly stopped, finally realizing how close he had brought them to Inuyasha and her. He hesitantly took a step forward before quickly running back to the comfort of Kagome's scent. To say she was surprised when he suddenly just back into her arms and burrowed his head in her neck was an understatement, but all he cared about was getting away from that stench. With Kagome around, it was bearable, but if he got even two feet away from her, he would probably empty his stomach.

Kagome gently stroked the fax on his back, but couldn't figure out what was upsetting him. "Shhh… its okay, Kitsune."

The fox resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _I'm not afraid it's just that I can't stand of scent of clay and bones, and your scent is so much more appeal- acceptable._ Kitsune mentally slapped himself. He was a kitsunemata, she was human, impossible. If he was a taiyoukai again, he might have a chance, but not now.

Kagome started walking, wondering what was wrong with her fox companion. She stopped dead at the sound of a soft yet familiar voice. Tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes as she waited for the second voice to speak, as she knew it would.

"Kikyo…" The voice was no doubt Inuyasha, the hanyou that had sworn to protect her, (though she knew he would always protect _her_ first,) who had just confirmed Kagome's fears about who the first voice was.

"Hello, Inuyasha." Kagome choked on her sobs, no longer aware of Kitsune, who was growling threateningly at the two from over her shoulder.

Then undead miko and her hanyou were in a clearing just behind and to the left of Kagome, so she still couldn't see them. Inuyasha had his back turned to her best friend, while Kikyo could see her perfectly. Kitsune flared at the dead woman walking, not willing to classify her in the same way as his mistress.

Kagome, unwilling to see them together, began walking away. Kitsune watched as Kikyo drew Inuyasha into her embrace and threw a sadistic smirk to her 'reincarnation,' causing Kitsune to growl even louder. He could not and would not believe that Kagome was that witch's reincarnation.

Inuyasha started to turn to see what the kitsunemata was doing so far from Kagome, but Kikyo swiftly kissed him to keep him occupied while Kagome nonchalantly walked away.

* * *

Kitsune jumped from her arms and allowed fire to engulf his body, and then emerged in his large form, all six tails twitching anxiously and in fury. Kagome gave no sign of acknowledgement as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. Kitsune scowled then closed his eyes in concentration. 

Kagome had been lost in her own mind when she felt an unfamiliar aura brush against hers. She tensed, but grudgingly relaxed when it wrapped comfortingly around her. She began to slip into unconsciousness, though she struggled. She heard a deep chuckle and in her mind, definitely male, and immediately froze.

"For one as broken as you appear to be, you still try to fight, a sign of a strength that is extremely hard to come by." The voice was just as deep as the chuckling, and it sent a shiver up and down her spine, which only made the voice chuckle again.

"W-who are you?" Her voice trembled, showing her vulnerability, as much as she hated it. "Why are you in my mind?" She gained strength in her anger, but the voice could apparently see through that anger.

A hand she couldn't see caressed her cheek, causing her to freeze. "A friend. As for why I'm in you mind, let's just say that you were being unresponsive to Kitsune, so I decided to either wake you up or know you out to let him take you home," the voice said wryly. He never retracted his hand, which caused the miko to try to back away, but found that she couldn't move her legs. Whoever this person way, he must have seen her discomfort, because he retracted the offending hand.

"So, are you going to start moving, or do I have to make you fall unconscious?" Kagome could almost hear his smirk. She scowled a little, but sighed when she only heard him chuckle in response.

"Sorry, I'll wake up. I'm just hurt." Kagome kept her voice soft, hoping that it wouldn't crack. She was truly hurt, because Inuyasha had said that he wouldn't run off without telling her anymore, yet there he was, running off to Kikyo without saying a word to her.

Kagome bowed her head so her bangs shadowed her eyes; she didn't want anyone to see how weak she was. Her head shot up as she felt the same invisible hand, accompanied by another one and the arms attached to them wrap around her from behind.

"You shouldn't cry for the hanyou; he isn't worth you tears." Kagome could feel the warm breath on the back of her neck, sending another shiver down her spine. He chuckled again then paused, his arms still around her, and seemed to be breathing in her scent.

Kagome couldn't help but relax as his aura washed over her again. "Who are you?" Her voice was quiet and slightly breathy, which caused the man, no- youkai, no doubt, she couldn't see to chuckle before nuzzling her neck. Kagome froze.

"As I said, a friend." He took in her scent one last time before sighing and pulling away. "You should go, Kitsune may be worried." His presence began to withdraw, leaving Kagome slightly missing the warmth.

"Wait! At least tell me your name!" She shouted after him. Not really expecting an answer, she sighed and turned to go back to reality, when the aura returned with a faint whisper.

"Alexeron."

* * *

Kagome smiled wanly at Kitsune, who was in his large form and looking up at her with worried ice blue eyes. "Let's go to the well, ne?" The kitsune yipped and fell in step behind her, before lifting her onto his back. Kagome giggled lightly before sprawling on him and letting the tears fall. 

End Flashback

She had cried the entire way to the well and through. Kitsune was worried about her. When they had come up to the house, he had transformed ion to his smaller form and jumped onto her shoulders while she unlocked the door. Everyone was asleep, so Kagome had just taken him up to her room and sat on the bed. He had jumped out of her arms to sit beside her. She had pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them.

She had stayed like that for over an hour before she had turned to him. Kitsune jumped and licked her face, letting her know that he was still there for her. She smiled a little more happily at him and pulled him into a hug.

"I know Alexeron told me not to cry, bnut I needed to, just one last time before I let him go entirely." Kitsune gave a small start then yipped for joy, causing her to laugh again.

* * *

AN: I know, kinda short, and the next will be shorter, but I'm pretty much just setting things up right now. Setting them up for what, I don't know. The Spirit Detectives will be in the next one, I promise. 

Now I need your help, I don't exactly know what the plot for the whole story is going to be, so help would be much appreciated. Also, you guys get to vote on who Kag is going to be paired up with, Kag/Hiei, Kag/Kur, or maybe even Kag/Alex. The choice is entirely yours, so please review!


	2. Koenma Talks

All Because of a Kitsune

Disclaimer: Don't even try to sue me, 'cause if you do, you're going to lose this. I don't own anything except Alex.

"Oi, toddler! What the heck is so important that I had to ditch Keiko, AGAIN?!" The said toddler demigod sighed at his spirit detective's brash behavior. Yusuke Urameshi had always been the punk on the block, that, Koenma could handle, but he _hated_ being call a 'toddler.'

"Yusuke, for the last time! Don't call me 'toddler!" Composing himself, Koenma faced the entire group. "Now, we have a problem –"

"That's obvious, or else we wouldn't be here. Not get to the point." A very irritated forbidden child spoke up from the shadowy corner. Everyone agreed with him, but the rest of his teammates tried not to show how surprised they were at his show of emotion.

Koenma laughed nervously and turned on his TV screen. A picture of a kitsune youkai appeared on the screen. There was a black ten-pointed star taiyoukai marking on his forehead. Ice blue eyes that spoke of wisdom but were stone cold were set in an elegant face framed with flaming red hair that would have given _Kurama_ a run for his money. Two red kitsune ears tipped with black sprouted from the top of his head, and he had seven similar tails. There were two silvery blue stripes one cheeks and one was visible on his wrists , stating his rank as a taiyoukai again. He wore an elegant red haori and hakamas (?) with lining that matched his stripes. All in all, this youkai was a guy any girl would die for and would have a bigger fan club than Kurama if he ever showed his face in public.

"This is Lord Alexeron; he supposedly died five hundred years ago, after he was somehow bewitched into an elemental kitsune form twenty-five years before." Koenma watched the reactions of his spirit detectives. Yusuke just stood there, probably wondering why he was getting a history lesson on some dead guy. Kurama was listening politely with veiled interest of the gorgeous kitsune. Kuwabara was looking at the screen as if Yukina would suddenly pop out of it, probably looking at the ears. And Hiei merely stood there with narrowed eyes that said he wanted to kill everyone in the room.

"Though it is nearly impossible, our sensors have picked up and energy signal identical to his." This caused a reaction form the demigod's 'employees.' The only one that didn't seem to understand was Kuwabara, but that was only because he had a different way of thinking than the others.

"So you're telling us, that an S-class youkai just appeared out of nowhere after five hundred years?" Yusuke look disbelieving, while Kurama was contemplative and Hiei… well, you could never really tell with Hiei unless he wanted you to, and his face was guarded.

Koenma sighed and nodded. "I need you to find and bring him here. I need to know where he has been." Koenma sat behind his desk again, signaling that the meeting was almost. "You all need to be very careful; even with only three tails, Alexeron wasn't someone able to challenge the Lord of Makai, just think of how powerful he'll be with seven tails."

Koenma looked at a file in front of him. "As of right, now, he is at the Higurashi shrine of Tokyo."

"NANI!?"

Even Hiei would have started a little if he hadn't been glaring dangerously at Koenma, though no one noticed because all eyes were on Yusuke.

"Is there something I need to repeat, Yusuke?" Koenma asked with false calm, he didn't want to get the spirit detective angry.

"Yeah; the place that he's at," the boy's eyes had hardened with unbridled rage, "'cause if you say Higurashi Shrine again, I'll know _exactly _where to go." With this statement, he unknowingly made himself the target of a crimson glare.

"I did say the Higurashi Shrine, now how do you, a street-smart punk, know of one of the most prestigious shrines in Tokyo?" Curiosity killed the cat, but luckily for Koenma, he wasn't a cat, but the demigod still cowered at the glare he was receiving. But, if he hadn't ask the question, someone else would have.

Yusuke scowled and clenched his fists. "Kagome Higurashi is my cousin." Everyone's eyes widened, but a pair of crimson narrowed angrily. "She's had a lot of health issues for the past year," Yusuke ignored the snort that came from Hiei's corner, "but she's the sweetest girl you'd ever meet; she doesn't judge anyone, no matter what. I don't want to be the one to explain the concept of evil demons to her." His scowl softened as he thought of his cousin, knowing the girl's kindness first hand, he didn't want to shatter her reality.

"Then this should be easy." Koenma stated calming considerably. "Just go 'visit' her and you'll be able to capture Alexeron." Koenma began his stamping, oblivious to Hiei's dangerous glare, but Kurama wasn't.

"Is there something you would like to add, Hiei?" the kitsune avatar asked innocently. Hiei shot him a death glare before turning away with the traditional 'hn.'

Yusuke watched the fire apparition suspiciously before shrugging it off and going back to think about his predicament. "What powers does this Alexeron have?" He quickly asked before his 'boss' could try to send him away.

Koenma paused in his stamping and slowly set the stamp down. The spirit detectives turned to him questioningly. "That's just the thing… we don't know." The graveness in his voice put the group on edge. "There are many legends about this particular lord, and none of them are the same. Unlike Lord Sesshomaru, though they say that one was trained by the other, Alexeron worked in the shadows, making it difficult for us to know exactly what he can do."

"Some legends say he is a powerful telepath, so he may give you a challenge, Hiei." A snort was all that was heard. "Others say that he can control the elements, which was why he was transformed into an _element_ kitsune." Koenma looked back down at Alexeron's file. "As much as I hate to say it, you guys are pretty much on your own with this one."

The group nodded, knowing that they wouldn't get anymore out of the demigod. Yusuke was still in deep thought. He finally shook his head before looking at the others. "We'll check it out tomorrow; Kagome, Souta, Kun-loon and their ji-san are already expecting me and Mom, and knowing Kun-loon, she won't mind a few extra mouths to feed." A small smile graced Yusuke's lips as he spoke of his family.

Koenma nodded. "Get your rest; you're going to need it tomorrow." With that, Koenma called Botan and had her open a portal to Yusuke's apartment, seeing as it was about halfway from Kurama's house to Kuwabara's, and Hiei mostly slept in a tree at Kurama's place.

"So Yusuke, is there anything we should know before we meet your family?" Kurama asked, trying to break his friend's silence. It seemed to be working, because Yusuke snapped out of it, sure he had to ask what Kurama had said again, but it still worked.

"Well, her ji-san is obsessed with youkais, so he'll most likely yell, 'Demon be gone!' and throw a false sutra at you, but that's it. Souta's just a kid, so he'll probably want us to play with him, and Aunt Kun-loon is just sweet to everyone." The punk was by now smirking a little. "And Kagome…" His face slackened as he gave a tired sigh. "I haven't seen her in a year, so I don't know what she's really like anymore, other than she will do anything to keep people from knowing about her problems so they will be happy."

Kurama nodded. _This is going to be hard._ He was referring to the mission, although that would be too, no doubt. He was thinking about getting Yusuke's mind off this 'Kagome' and onto the task at hand.

Unnoticed by the whole group, though slipping past Kuwabara was extremely simple, Hiei had run off in a different direction than Kurama's house. If they had noticed, they would have thought that he was checking on Yukina, (who hadn't been told the truth yet,) but they would be wrong then too.

He was going to see the person he had been meaning to see before Botan popped up with a portal in front of him. He was hesitant to call her a friend, but in truth, she was; a certain time-traveling miko that he would be seeing with his team the next day.

* * *

AN: Ok, Alex is in the lead by one against Kurama, and there is one vote for an Alex/Kag/Kur.

Now, I know that in the next chapters, up to about six or seven, it will look like Hiei has interest in her as well, but if it turns out that he doesn't win her, then he will realize that his feelings for her are nothing more than the same he has for Yukina, so don't get mad at me if I make this look like I Kag/Hiei, it most likely won't be, he doesn't have a single vote. Keep voting please!

There is chapter two, hope you liked it. Keep voting and reviewing!


	3. Midnight Visitors

All Because of a Kitsune

Midnight Visitors

Disclaimer: Are you out of your mind?!?! I don't own this stuff! I only own Alexeron Jiyoukai!

Kitsune watched his mistress drift into slumber after one last cry. He was happy she would get over the hanyou-no-baka, but now he would have to hound the next suitor that came to call. The fox sighed before suddenly tensing at the unexpected arrival of another youkai.

He growled low in his throat as the window was opened from the outside. A figure dressed in black climbed onto the windowsill, but didn't come in all the way. Through the dark Kitsune made out blood crimson eyes, black hair, a black cloak, and a sheathed sword in it.

The figure gave a barely noticeable sigh of relief at the sleeping, unharmed, girl. Then he seemed to become of aware of the fox standing protectively by her side and narrowed his eyes slightly.

/Let me guess, Alexeron?/ The voice ran through Kitsune's mind and his ice-colored eyes widened fractionally. /Koenma is sending me and the three other spirit detectives to find you tomorrow./ The youkai settled himself to sit on the windowsill and gazed out at the moon.

**So, are you going to arrest me, Jaganshi?** Alexeron asked cockily. **I may to in a weaker form, but you're still going to have a hard time catching me. **He heard Hiei snort.

/Don't count on it. I put Kagome's happiness before Koenma's orders./ Hiei turned back to gaze at the sleeping miko. /She accepted me without even knowing me; I tried to discourage her, I even told her that I was a forbidden child, but she never stopped smiling./ A smile unknowingly crept across his face, while Alexeron just nodded knowingly.

**She saved me, though part of me thinks that Sesshomaru set it up. She and her kit were running from him, and they 'just happened' to come across my injured body, and Sesshomaru 'mysteriously' stopped following them.** A chuckle crossed over to Hiei's mind. **She healed me, careful not to purify me, and you could say that I grew attached to her after that.** Alexeron joined the forbidden child in gazing fondly at the girl, before growling slightly.

Hiei tensed and spread the senses of his jagan out across the shrine. Sensing nothing, he looked at Alex questioningly. Normally he would have glared, but this was a taiyoukai, in kitsunemata form or not, and one that had Kagome's respect, friendship, and protection, whether or not she knew of his real power or not, so he would respect him as well.

Alexeron noticed Hiei's gaze and stopped growling, but had what appeared to be a scowl on his fox face. Sighing slightly, he projected images of earlier that night… well, five hundred years ago, but to them that night. Hiei's crimson eyes narrowed at the sight of Kagome's crying. If that wasn't a sign of his anger, then the clenching of his fists and the tightening of his jaw were.

/If he shows up tomorrow, I don't care if I get thrown in Reikai Prison, I'll kill him./ Hiei's anger was rolling off him in waves, and was very contagious since Kagome wasn't awake.

**I would join you, but Kagome would be upset, not only that he died, but that you got thrown into prison.** Alexeron watched as Hiei's expression of fury faded into one of resignation then indifference. **That does not mean, however, that we have to be nice to the baka. ** Hiei smirked slightly at the remark, evil plans already forming in both their minds at the torture they could bestow on the baka.

/It's odd. I don't show this much emotion to my teammates, and I've been working with them for two years./ The forbidden child smirked slightly at the irony of the situation. /And here I've just met you./

Alexeron nodded at him then looked at Kagome again. **Maybe it's her; she always has a calming aura around her that could probably get even _Sesshomaru_ to relax.** If Hiei had been any other demon, he would have laughed out loud. It was common knowledge that the Lord of Makai hadn't relaxed completely for five hundred years.

Their chuckling died down as the object of their discussion mumbled something in her sleep. /It's hard to believe that she's seen so much evil and bloodshed, yet she remains as innocent as Yukina./ The forbidden child thought to himself, but Alexeron caught the faint comment.

**Yukina?** His head cocked to the side in curiosity. Hiei flinched at his lax guard before he answered.

/Yukina is my younger sister, but she is nothing like me, and she doesn't know I'm her brother./ Hiei looked back out at the night. /I don't want her to know, because she deserves a better brother than me./

Alexeron watched him before shaking his head. **Baka. If she had thought that you would be perfect, she wouldn't have come looking for you.** The cursed taiyoukai ignored his companion's warning growl and continued. **If she has any sense, she'll know that a perfect brother is probably dead by now. Besides, you've been protecting her, so you are a good brother.**

Hiei paused and gave his traditional "Hn," before tensing at the burst of energy from the direction of the well house.

Hiei leapt to the cover of the shadows and covered his scent and aura with his jagan, while Alexeron moved to stand between his mistress and the still open window, growling dangerously with his fur bristled.

A figure clad in red with silver hair appeared at the window, sniffing the air (AN: Guess who.) "I could've sworn that I smelled another demon here." His silver puppy ears twitched as he heard someone growling. Gold eyes caught ice blue as he saw the kitsune standing in front of Kagome.

"Hey, Kitsune, what're you doin' here?" Inuyasha failed to realize that the object of the fox's anger was himself, as well as the heated glare directed at him from the shadows. "Anyway, I've gotta give that wench a piece of my mind; leavin' like that. And I-" Inuyasha stopped ranting, which was good or else Hiei would have gutted him then. "Why was she crying?" His voice was softer, but that did little to lessen either youkai's anger.

Alexeron reluctantly backed down as the hanyou came forward, but he was ready to bite the hanyou's hand off if he hurt Kagome. Inuyasha had smelled the trace of salt in that air, and it could only be the miko's tears. He gently stroked her face, conscious of the faint tearstains trailing down her cheeks. He lost all will to lecture her at the sight of her peaceful form.

He walked back to the window and got ready to leave. "Tell her that I'll be back tomorrow, we've got to go back; Sesshomaru's expecting her." Not really expecting anyone to really tell her, he jumped out the window. His disappearance was soon followed by the burst of energy from the well.

"Hn." Hiei allowed his shield to fall and stepped out from the shadows. /Should we tell her?/ He turned to Alexeron while keeping up his mask of indifference.

The fox nodded. **If only to show up the hanyou a little. Besides, I'm curious to see if she knows what Sesshomaru-sensei wants to see us for.** Hiei nodded in agreement and made to shake the miko to wake her up. **Don't tell her who I am. I don't want her to know yet.** Alexeron turned his head away in embarrassment; Hiei just nodded and shook Kagome's shoulder.

Mumbling something akin to, "What do you want now?" Kagome slowly opened her eyes. "Hiei!" She quickly sat up, rubbing her eyes a little. "What's up?" She was smiling, but the forbidden child could see that it didn't reach her eyes. Just like the detective said: she'll do anything to keep from dropping her problems on anyone else.

Hiei sighed unnoticeably and looked her over again. She had a few cuts and bruises and only one new scar this time. Once she had come through the well half-dead and he had carried her into the house for her mother to clean her up; afterwards she had thanked him and apologized for getting his clothes bloody. Since then, he had come to see her off, and made sure he came the moment he felt the well's energy to make sure she was alright when she came back.

"I was starting to get worried when you didn't show up to meet me." Kagome's smile widened when he smirked slightly.

"Did you really want me to come here to see you in tears?" Kagome stiffened at his words, but his face softened slightly. "The fox showed me." The miko's face fell a little and she nodded. "The fox is actually part of the reason I came."

"Three others and I were sent to fetch him to see why he suddenly reappeared after five hundred years." Kagome smiled sheepishly before letting him continue. "I'll warn you now, one of these three claimed to be your cousin, Yusuke."

Kagome's head jerked in his direction, eyes wide and mouth open. "Yu-Yusuke knows about demons?" She couldn't believe that her punk of a cousin would actually believe this kind of thing, though apparently he had changed just as much as she had in the past year.

Hiei nodded before changing the subject. "The hanyou came while you slept." The forbidden child paused, studying her reaction; it wasn't quite what he expected.

A faint smile, he could deal with; tears were harder, but he had expected that over _this._

An expression completely devoid of all emotion crept on her face. The smile he had come to associate with the young miko looked as if it would never return, and, for some strange reason, if pained him to see her that way. Taking a glance at Alexeron, Hiei could see that this was distressing to him, too.

"He was ranting then he must have smelled the salt from your tears, because he stopped and turned to leave, saying that he'll be back tomorrow because Sesshomaru wanted to see you." He paused and raised an eyebrow. "Any idea what that's about?"

Kagome shook her head. She still wasn't over Inuyasha quite yet, and to get over him, she wanted to be as far away from him as possible. Then there was her issue with Yusuke; how was she going to hide the jewel and kitsune from him?

"What am I going to do about Yusuke?" She allowed fear into her voice and face, because she could see that acting like Sesshomaru was making her guests uncomfortable. "I can deal with Inuyasha, it is Yusuke and the other two I'm worried about."

Hiei nodded and frowned slightly in concentration. If she and Yusuke had been really close, no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn't be able to hide anything from him; but if they hadn't been too close, he might be able to cast an illusion to hide her scars and she would be able to pull off the rest.

"We'll probably be able to trick Yusuke, Kuwabara won't be hard to trick, but his spirit awareness is high, so we'll have to hide both your and the fox's aura. Kurama will be harder; he's the kitsune avatar and can piece things together quickly, so be careful what you say to him." Hiei explained. He didn't want the fox to find out about Kagome; she was like his secret, one that Koenma didn't even know about, that was why he had been irritated when the detective knew about her. "Also, you'll need to act as if you know me, and probably you'll be able to act as if you're just suffered a heartbreak if needed."

Kagome smiled a little up at him then nodded. "I don't know if I can fool Yusuke, but hopefully Inuyasha will come before of after you and the others come." Her smile faded and turned into a scowl. "I _hate_ to see what Yusuke would do if he found even a hanyou here; he's very protective."

Hiei snorted. "If the hanyou does show up and the detective is here, I'm not going to stop the fight." Kagome smiled and pulled the kitsune into her lap.

Hiei heard the taiyoukai purring as she pet him both in and out of his mind. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he could have sworn he saw the fox smirk.

Watching him, the forbidden child allowed his crimson eyes to widen. As the moonlight fell through the window, and onto the miko and fox, he saw a translucent image hovering over Alexeron. With his head on the girl's lap, was the image of the taiyoukai in his full glory and humanoid form. He laid on the bed with his eyes closed, still purring.

Hiei blinked in shock and looked again, but the image was gone.

"Hiei?" Kagome's worried voice broke him from his trance. "I've been trying to talk to you, but you didn't seem to hear me." The kitsune smirked again.

**You saw it, didn't you?** Hiei ignored him and turned back to Kagome, who was talking a little cheerfully again.

"You know, this is the most you and I have talked to each other." The forbidden child gave a short 'hn' then turned back to the night.

"You should get some sleep; we'll both have a troublesome day tomorrow." Hiei gazed at the shrine, watching the fireflies dance around the yard. The shrine emitted a peaceful aura, calming even him. Besides making sure that Kagome was alright, the forbidden child often came here to relax in the boughs of the Goshimboku.

"Alright; good night, Hiei." Alexeron crawled off her lap and watched her lie down. "Good night, Kitsune." He licked her face then listened for her breathing to even out, signaling that she had fallen asleep.

**She really if more special than she believes; she deserves better than that hanyou can give her.** Hiei nodded absently, not really paying attention. His thoughts were back to his dilemma with the other Spirit Detectives.

If they did figure out about Kagome, the well, and Alexeron, then what would happen? If the two stayed, Koenma would find out about them and probably blackmail them into becoming Spirit Detectives, but if they left, who knew when they would come back.

**We would come back; Kagome wouldn't be able to stay away from her family for too long.** The taiyoukai watched Hiei, looking into his mind once in a while to make sure he wasn't thinking too hard. He had tried that once, if hurt his head.

Hiei nodded again, turning to watch the miko sleep. In a way, she was a closer friend to him than Kurama and, other than his sister, she was the only one he would truly admit to being afraid to lose. She knew that he hadn't told Yukina about their relationship, but, unlike the others, she didn't push him to tell her. Sure, she would drop hints that he should do it sooner rather than later, but that was all. Hiei respected her for being able to survive in the Feudal Era, for being one of the few real mikos left, and for having the stamina to go back after all the times the hanyou had broken her heart.

Alexeron watched the forbidden child, also thinking. They both agreed that Inuyasha wasn't worthy of Kagome, and they both liked the girl on some level. They were also worried about what would happen tomorrow.

The taiyoukai had worked too hard to escape Enma's clutches as a kit, he wasn't about to get caught by his son. He had escaped to the past through the Bone Eater's Well three hundred years ago. He spent that same amount of time in the past, becoming stronger and gaining the status of a taiyoukai under the tutelage of Sesshomaru himself, and now he was a kitsunemata and back home, three hundred years after he left.

While he had been waiting for Kagome to finish crying, he had been speaking with the spirits residing around the shrine, learning how Spirit World dealt with things nowadays. Apparently Koenma was more lenient on runaway demons, but demons were still forced back into Makai, even if they didn't wish any harm to humans. Alex didn't want to go back to Makai, not when he had to take care of Kagome.

Hiei sighed inwardly and turned to the kitsune. /Before I leave, answer me on question./ After seeing his affirmative nod, he continued. /What was that image when you were on Kagome's lap?/

Alexeron snickered across their minds. **That was simply my original form. It comes through sometimes, mostly when I'm either angry or extremely content. Once when I was completely enraged, I was able to completely transform, but was so exhausted afterwards that I returned to this form. After that, Kagome found me, and the image has been coming through more often since then.** The witched taiyoukai smiled at the miko. **I think Kagome is the key for me to return to my true form, though if I have to leave her side afterwards, I'll gladly stay in this form.**

Hiei nodded. /I'll be back tomorrow with the others. Kagome will be able to pull this off; she's smarter than people give her credit for./ Alexeron nodded at him and watched him disappear from the windowsill.

**This will be an interesting day.** He looked to Kagome and curled up beside her, resting his head against her. **I hope you're ready for this, Kagome.** He fell asleep shortly after, and anyone watching would have seen a nearly solid image of a beautiful kitsune taiyoukai with seven tails lying beside the miko with his arms wrapped around her, and her head tucked under his chin. Still asleep, the miko tried to wrap on of her arms around him, only to whimper when all she met was air.

AN: I'M SORRY!!! I didn't mean to not update for so long, honest! I really sorry, and the next chapter will be up sooner, hopefully.

Anyway, the poles so far: Kag/Alex: 11, Kag/Kur: 4, Kag/Hiei: 2, Alex/Kag/Kur: 3, Alex/Kag/Hiei:2, Alex/Kur/Kag/Hiei: 1. Come ON, people! Alex is beating everyone mercilessly! (I didn't know that he would be so popular….) Thanks for voting, continue please, and review please!

Oh, and there is going to be a surprise about Alex coming in like Chapter 8 or 9, I don't think any of you will be able to guess, but you're welcome to try. ;P

Starry T. Nickolian


	4. Heartbroken Song

All Because of a Kitsune

Heartbroken Song

Disclaimer: If I owned these two anime, I would have mixed them together for real, rather than doing it on a fanfiction website, not to mention that if I owned 'My Immortal,' I would be filthy rich.

* * *

Yusuke was pacing his apartment, waiting for the others to arrive so he could go make sure his cousin was alright. He hated the idea of a demon being anywhere near her, and it took all of his self-control to keep himself from running over to the shrine and taking her far away from there.

The detective was brought out of his thoughts be a knock on the door. Opening it, he allowed Kuwabara entrance to his home. "Hey, Urameshi, are you alright? You seem real tense." Kuwabara sat on the couch, across from Yusuke who sat down in the arm chair with a sigh.

"I'm just worried about Kagome; she's too trusting. If this Alexeron guy came up to her and asked for shelter, she'd give it to him without a second thought." He ran a hand through his ungelled hair and stared into space. "Kagome was closer to me than she was to Souta, and I guess I'm more protective of her than I am of Keiko."

Kuwabara listened to him rant and watched his actions. He may not be the smartest or strongest of the group, but he could understand loyalty and honor whenever he came across it. _Urameshi is really close to his cousin. I wonder how deep that will go, and far back it goes._

Another knock came from the door, but this time Yusuke didn't bother to get up, he just called for whoever it was to come in. Kurama glided into the room, while a moody Hiei just seemed to just appear at his perch on the window. Kurama nodded a greeting while Hiei didn't bother to acknowledge them. Since the team was used to this, no one questioned it.

After a few moments of silence, Kurama broke it by clearing his throat. "Since we know next to nothing about this Alexeron, we should just go and observe. It may be that he is no longer there." Yusuke and Kuwabara nodded and Hiei gave and noncommittal 'hn.'

* * *

"OSUWARI!" A loud thud resounded through the shrine, scaring the birds perched in the Goshimboku. "Inuyasha, I can't leave and you can't stay! My cousin is coming and I already feel bad enough about not telling him about you!" Kagome stood over a subdued hanyou, furious yet sad, with a laughing Kitsune on her shoulder.

"Wench!" Inuyasha stood up and glared at the miko. "I don't know what Sesshomaru wants, but he won't fight me until he talks to you, so let's GO!"

"OSUWARI!"

Inuyasha fell back to the ground again while Kagome stormed into one of her grandfather's storage sheds. Kitsune sat on her shoulder, watching her rummage through some boxes curiously. _What is she up to now?_

Kagome pulled a blank scroll out from one of the boxes then a pen from the wall. She sighed as she began to think of a way to explain this to Sesshomaru without making it sound like an excuse or insult. She felt Kitsune nudge her cheek and tried to pull off a smile for him then began to write.

_Milord Sesshomaru,_

_Due to circumstances out of my control, I am unable to meet with you at this time. I ask that you give me 48 hours to return to discuss whatever matters you wish._

_Most humbly yours,_

_Higurashi Kagome_

Kitsune looked over it when she held it up to him and nodded once. She giggles and rolled it up then tied it with a ribbon, hoping Sesshomaru wouldn't kill her for not coming at once.

"Inuyasha, take this to Sesshomaru and don't come get me until I am ready to return." The hanyou standing behind her mumbled something incoherent but she had no doubt that there was more than one curse in there before grabbing the scroll. When Kagome turned around, he was already gone, for which she was very grateful. "The last thing I need is to deal with him before my heart is healed yet."

Kitsune watched her for a moment before licking her face then racing out of the shed, feeling quite playful at the moment. Kagome ran after him laughing. "Kitsune! Kitsune, get back here!"

Kagome didn't see her cousin and his friends coming up the shrine stairs, but she did see the slight alteration of Kitsune's coloration, giving him a more golden look and the disappearance of two of his tails. _Nani?_ "Kitsune, come here. Kitsune!"

"Kag!" Kagome skidded to a halt and whirled around. Yusuke stood there with his trademark smirk and a hint of worry but a lot of relief in his eyes. Kagome scarcely noticed the two other boys standing with Hiei, but took note of them nonetheless before throwing herself at Yusuke.

The Spirit Detective caught his cousin with ease and twirled her around twice before pulling her in to wrap his arms around her. Kagome smiled into his green street jacket and hugged hard.

His companions appeared to be surprised at Yusuke's show of affection since he wasn't even this open with Keiko. _So this is how deep their relationship goes: Urameshi will risk humiliation just to show her that he cares about her._ Kuwabara smiled and allowed his respect for Yusuke to rise considerably.

_-And exactly who is this lovely, little thing?-_ Kurama didn't know which he'd rather do, roll his eyes at his counterpart's antics, or sigh at the loss of peace. Youko Kurama was known for pursuing anything beautiful, and would annoy his human side to no end to find a girl.

_:She is Yusuke's cousin, therefore off-limits, Youko.:_ Kurama was patient for the most part, but had lost his cool with his inner youkai on occasion, mostly for conversations like the one this was most likely going to turn out to be.

**Wise move, avatar.** An unfamiliar deep voice crossed their minds, causing them both to tense. **I promise you this, I will remain hidden and you will not find me until I wish to be found. Also, please stay away from Kagome.** A powerful aura engulfed their minds, unbalancing even the great Youko Kurama. **In the short time I have been residing here, I have grown attached to the girl, though she does not know I am here, so do not question her about it.**

Kurama stumbled as the aura abruptly disappeared. He glanced at Hiei, but he seemed completely oblivious, watching Yusuke and Kagome with a strange glint in his eyes, but Kuwabara was looking around uneasily, proving that Alexeron had been there. _:Why didn't Hiei sense him?:_ Youko remained silent, deep in thought.

Kagome pulled back from Yusuke and smiled up at him. "I was a little afraid that you wouldn't show up Yusuke." The Spirit Detective rubbed the back of his neck a little sheepishly but smiled back at her, silently saying that he was sorry.

A small yip caught all of their attention. Turning their heads deeper into the shrine, they saw a golden-red, one-white-tipped-tailed, green-eyed fox watching them from underneath the Goshimboku, slitted eyes glinting in amusement and something unknown, but it looked like whatever had been in Hiei's crimson orbs. "Kitsune!" Kagome stepped away from her cousin and held her arms out to the fox as she knelt down. The fox wasted no time in bolting across the yard and into her grasp and licking her face.

Kagome laughed and took up with the fox in her arms. "Yusuke this is Kitsune." She smiled brightly, causing the others to smile as well, though Hiei's went unseen. "Not that I've introduced my friend, what about yours?"

Yusuke blinked for a moment before remembering that he had brought the other along. "Oh! This is Kuwabara – " Said boy snapped out of his uneasy daze and shoved Yusuke out of the way to stand in front of Kagome.

Striking a pose, he proclaimed, "I am the great Kuwabara Kazuma, fair maiden and I think that I'm in love." Kneeling down, he took one of her hands, oblivious to the four glares directed at him, three from his teammates, and one from the fox. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?"

Shocking everyone except Hiei and Alexeron, who both smirked in silent amusement, Kagome burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that she had to set the fox on the ground so she could clutch her stomach. "I better tell Sango to stay away; I found another Miroku," She managed to say through her fit.

When she finally settled down, she smiled at Kuwabara but shook her head. "Wait, you've met someone like him before?" Kagome could see her cousin twitching and couldn't help by think of how alike he and Inuyasha were, but at that thought a shadow fell over her eyes.

Her smile only brightened as she responded, though. "Worse, actually; Miroku asked me to bear his child when we first met, right after he groped me." She smiled fondly at the memory and shook her head then continued before Yusuke had the chance to blow up. "That was before we met Sango, now he reserves his perverted antics for her only."

Yusuke calmed down, but was still muttering about finding this Miroku guy and pounding him. Kurama shook his head and stepped forward. "I am Shuichi Minamono, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Higurashi." He took her hand and kissed the back, Youko delighting in the resulting blush.

_ Watch it, fox. _Hiei's voice crossed into his mind, accompanied by a crimson glare.

_-Oh… Our little Jaganshi has finally taken an interest in a woman?-_ Youko sent a smirk through their mental connection, not caring that if looks could kill, he would have been dead ten times over. _–Well, I'm interested too, and from what I can guess from Alexeron's warning, he is as well, so back off and let the kitsune do their work.-_

Before Hiei could respond, Kurama waved a hand in his direction. "And this is Hiei, he may not talk much, but he means well." Kagome turned to him and gave him a bright smile, seeming to be a little relieved that their ploy was working while he merely gave his traditional grunt.

Kagome pouted slightly then picked up her fox again. "Well, come on inside; Mama ill be thrilled to have so many people to feed." Her laughter made everyone smile, even Hiei, though one had to look extremely hard to see it.

"Mama! Yusuke is here, and he brought some friends!" Immediately, a boy came running down the stairs and latched onto the black-haired toushin.

"Yusuke! How have you been? When did you get here? Why didn't you come straight to me? Do you want to play my new video games with me?" Souta beamed up at his cousin while Yusuke merely laughed.

"Maybe later, Squirt." Giving the younger boy a pat on the head, he turned to introduce the other boys to his aunt who had just walked in the room smiling. Kagome's grandfather walked into the room, mouth wide open in a yawn. Seeing a man with red hair, the old man immediately pulled out a sutra, which Kagome promptly snatched away, much to the amusement of the boys watching.

"I'm going out to do my chores, Mama. Sorry, Yusuke, I'll be back in when I'm done." Calling Kitsune, Kagome walked out the door. Once there was a barrier between her and her guests, the miko let out a sigh. Alexeron jumped onto her shoulder and licked her face. She pat his had, giving him a smile.

"Well, let's go." Kagome picked up the broom that was leaning against the house and began to sweep the shrine, thinking about her relationship with Inuyasha.

She would never to able to compare with Kikyo, Inuyasha always told her so. If it hadn't been for Shippo, she would have left the group long ago, but she didn't. Always coming back, saying that it was for Shippo, but for a while, Inuyasha would be nice to her, seeming to care for her, only to break her heart again.

She sighed again and looked up at the sky. She had wanted to be with Inuyasha, but now, she wasn't sure. She was tired of having her heart broken, so once this whole thing with Hiei's boss blew over, she was going to have Hiei train her to be able to defend herself.

Demo… It was going to be hard to completely stop loving the hanyou, but she would try. A song she had heard once came to her that seemed to describe her thoughts about Inuyasha, even if it was an English song, it was still good.

"I'm so tired of being here,  
Suppressed by all my childish fears.  
And if you have to leave,  
I wish that you would just leave,  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone."

Hiei's eyes widened as he heard her voice float across the shrine mournfully. _That was a change in mood; this will definitely make things more interesting._ He watched as the others began to hear her and stop talking.

"These wounds won't seem to heal;  
This pain is just too real;  
There's just too much that time cannot erase."

Yusuke stood up abruptly and began walking toward the door. Kuwabara followed him, then Kurama and Hiei. They stopped at the entrance to the house, watching as Kagome twirled around in a simple dance.

"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears;  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears;  
And I held your hand through all of these years,  
But you still have…  
All of me."

Alexeron was sitting on the step to the door, watching his mistress dance and pour her heart out to a hanyou who wouldn't hear a word of it. He glanced at the forbidden child and opened a mental link. **How is this going to affect out act?**

"You used to captivate me  
By your resonating light,  
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind.  
Your face, it haunts  
My once pleasant dreams.  
Your voice, it chased away  
All the sanity in me."

Hiei never took his eyes off Kagome's dancing form as he answered. _Nothing has changed; the detective will just be little more protective from now on, that's all. _The fox gave a short nod, one that only Hiei noticed.

"These wounds won't seem to heal;  
This pain is just too real;  
There's just too much that time cannot erase."

Kuwabara watched as Yusuke's hands clenched into fists. He could feel the anger pouring off of his rival and friend. He too was angry at whatever or whoever would dare to cause someone as pure and Kagome so much suffering, but to Yusuke it was more personal. Concealed though it was, Kuwabara could sense the anger coming off of Kurama, and strangely enough, the rage from Hiei and Kitsune.

"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears;  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears;  
And I held your hand through all of these years,  
But you still have…  
All of me."

Kurama watched the distraught girl's dance, Youko seething just below the surface. _–Whoever hurt her this much will pay dearly.-_ Kurama, for once, agreed whole-heartedly with his more rash half.

"I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone,  
But, though you're still with me,  
I've been alone all along."

Yusuke watched his cousin dance. He knew she was hiding something, but he didn't think that someone would actually dare to break her heart. Whoever did so would be punished; no one hurt someone he cared about with proper payback. He clenched his fists so much that he felt a trickle of blood flow down his fingers.

"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears;  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears;  
And I held your hand through all of these years,  
But you still have…  
All of me."

Kagome held the last not and twirled one last time. She had started to cry while she sang, so she wiped away the tearstains. _This is the last time that I cry for you Inuyasha. I won't be able to get over you until I find someone else, but I will_.

Hiei smirked at her thoughts, and from the wave of satisfaction from Alexeron, he heard them too. She deserved better than what the hanyou could give her, and now she would get it, whether it was with one of them or the fox.

**What are you saying, Hiei?** Alexeron was slightly disturbed by the forbidden child's thoughts. Yes, he was happy that she would be getting over the inu-no-baka, but now there were three possible suitors for her, including himself, and that… worried him a little.

_ We agreed last night that we both cared for her, and the fox is obviously attracted to her, so this will eventually turn into a contest between us if our feelings for her grow enough. _Hiei said it as if he weren't talking about the weather, though he was actually uncomfortable; he had never had feelings for anyone this strong except for his sister.

"Oh, hey guys!" Kagome smiled brightly at them, a completely turn-around from her attitude a few moments ago. The boys sweat-dropped at the mood swing, but didn't let that stop them from being angry.

Hiei and Alexeron smirked as they passed a thought to each other. Once the hanyou came back, he would be in for a major pounding from the entire group.

* * *

AN: Uh... Okay, I REALLY wish I could explain why I haven't updated in so long, but I can't, so, um... Please forgive me? Crouches in fear of reviewers GOMEN NAZAI! I don't know when the next update will be, but no matter what happens, I will NEVER quit this story, so no worries there. Again, I apologize profusely.

Oh! I almost forgot the polls for who Kag is going to be paired with.

Kag/Alex: 26 Kag/Kur: 7, Kag/Hiei: 5, Alex/Kag/Kur: 8, Alex/Kag/Hiei:9 Alex/Kag/Hiei/Kur: 6


	5. Sesshomaru's Ward

All Because of a Kitsune

Sesshomaru's Ward

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of or related to _YuYuHakusho_ or _Inuyasha_.

* * *

"Kagome, who made you so upset?" Yusuke was already cracking his knuckles in preparation for pounding whoever hurt the young miko. "Tell me now, so I don't have to go around pounding information out of everyone else, before I pound whoever made you cry."

Kagome laughed a little nervously. "Well, I don't really know where he is right now; I think he's trying to start a fight with his brother." Yusuke narrowed his eyes at her, disbelieving. "Listen, even if he doesn't like me, he's still protective of me and his brother wanted to talk to me, so Inuyasha wants to fight him." Once she realized she said his name, she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Inuyasha, huh?" Yusuke was smirking widely, especially when she appeared to panic. "Hey, Hiei! Could you do me a favor and find this guy?" Yusuke didn't look back to see his partners' reactions, just watched his cousin, who seemed to relax a little when he said Hiei's name, but panicked when she looked at the forbidden child.

Hiei was smirking. Oh, how he could torture the hanyou by telling the detective who and where he was, but the panic in the miko's eyes made him reconsider. Sighing dejectedly, he gave a 'hn; ask Koenma,' and turned his head away.

Kagome sighed in relief and smiled again. "Don't worry, Yusuke; he isn't worth it." With that, she picked up her broom and started walking to the house.

Yusuke scowled at her back and turned to the others. "Inuyasha… doesn't that mean 'dog demon' or something?" He saw Hiei smirk and narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Hn. It means '_female_ dog demon.'" Alexeron let out a yip of laughter, drawing their attention back to him.

"You guys don't think that Kitsune is Alexeron, do you?" Yusuke asked, tensing as he felt a powerful aura appear around them.

Alexeron smirked and began running around, acting as though he wanted to play. **Me, that foolish thing?** He projected his voice across all their minds and watched their stunned reactions. **This Alexeron thinks not.**

He stopped prancing and wagged his tail in amusement. Yusuke shifted into a fighting stance and looked around, glancing at the house more often than not to ensure his family's protection. Kuwabara was panicking and whirling around frantically, wide-eyed. Kurama was calmly running his hand through his hair, pulling out a seed but not transforming it yet. Hiei was simply scowling. _You're going to expose yourself, Kitsune._

Speaking only to Hiei, Alex answered. **Not really; I merely like to mess with your companions' minds.** Hiei grunted, but agreed. Alex snickered then spoke to all of them. **Good luck on your search; this Alexeron will be harder to find than you had hoped.**

Much to the Spirit Detectives' aggravation, the fox called his aura back to him, leaving no sign that it had ever been there. "How can he do that?!" Yusuke yelled out his pent up frustration since he couldn't punch something without possibly damaging the shrine.

Kurama too sighed in annoyance and placed the seed back in his hair. _–I could learn to like this guy, Red.-_ Youko was impressed at their target's skill; the only thing wrong was that they both had eyes for the same girl. _–This could get a little ugly though…-_

A beeping brought everyone from their thoughts. Yusuke's contemplative slightly angry look became overly irritated as he pulled out his communicator from his pocket. "What do you want, Toddler?"

"Yusuke, don't call me Toddler!" Koenma seemed to collect himself for a moment, coughing into his hand. "Now, what have you found out?" Yusuke considered not telling him anything, but remember this 'Inuyasha' person.

"I'll tell you, but you have to look something up for me." He smirked at the baby demi-god's stuttering. He loved riling the toddler up; it could turn out to be very entertaining. After a few moments, the Spirit Detective heard his 'employer' sigh.

"Alright; what do I have to look up?" Smirking triumphantly, Yusuke gave him the name Kagome had let slips. "I'll get the files on him and show you later. Now, what have you learned?"

Yusuke became frustrated again and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, he made contact. My cousin apparently adopted an orange fox, and we thought he might be this youkai, but all of the sudden we heard his voice and felt his aura. He told us that he wasn't the fox and good luck on finding him!" He was ranging now, having no other way to vent out his anger. "He completely disappeared! There wasn't a trace of him!"

Kurama spoke up from behind his friend, looking over his shoulder at Koenma. "Also, I believe he is interested in Yusuke's cousin." The avatar had to jump back as Yusuke whirled around, fist ready to pound him into the ground. He raised his hands defensively. "It's only a suspicion, I don't truly have any solid proof as of yet."

Yusuke was about to yell at him for even _thinking_ that Kagome could be more involved than she already was when he heard his cousin's voice from her window. "Guys! Okaa-san has lunch ready! And Yusuke, don't beat on Shuiichi-san!"

Yusuke scowled and waited until Kagome had disappeared from the opening before raising to the communicator to face Koenma again. "Gotta go, Toddler. Anything else?"

Koenma's face appeared thoughtful. "Keep your eyes out and watch your cousin, just in case." Yusuke nodded then snapped the communicator shut.

Turning to his friend, he sighed a little. "Well then, let's go." The others nodded and followed the growing scent of oden.

* * *

"Oh good, you're all in here." Kun-loon herded the boys into the kitchen and seated them at the table. "Yusuke, do you know when you mother is going to arrive?"

The teen shook his head absently as he gazed at the steaming pot of oden in front of him on the table. Kagome was going to flip if they started without her; in fact, she should have been downstairs already. "Oi, Souta, where's Kagome?"

The child choked on slightly on his drink. "Um… She'll be back in about an hour." His voice was small, a little afraid of what Yusuke would do in response to the news that she was gone. "A friend in trouble called…" Kagome had told him that Yusuke was looking for the fox she brought home and that he wasn't to tell his favorite cousin _anything_ about her travels through time.

Hiei read the boy's thoughts and stood. Kun-loon didn't' ask him where he was going, and his 'friends' let him be – he wasn't one for human interaction. Once he got outside, he jumped up to Kagome's window. She was pacing, apparently trying to get the nerve to face Sesshomaru. Why she didn't just wait until she said she would go, he wasn't sure, but it had to be important.

Rolling his eyes, the forbidden child walked up to her and picked her up. "H-Hiei! What are you –" Before she could finish, Hiei jumped back out the window and dashed across the shrine to the well house. Alexeron was already there in his elemental kitsune form. He jumped on the youkai's shoulder as he passed, and they all fell through the well.

* * *

"I didn't know you could pass through the well, Hiei." The forbidden child heard Kagome' voice, but barely registered he words as he gazed at the forest around him with hidden interest. "Well, I'm happy you can, even if I don't understand why…"

"Hn." It wasn't as indifferent as usual, but he didn't mind – he was only talking to Kagome, and she could already read him better than Kurama – what was the point of hiding it from her?

Hiei was marveling at the untainted scent in the air around him, until he caught the smell of inu youkai, kitsune, and hanyou on the other side of the forest. "The kit, hanyou, and future-king-of-Makai are on their way."

Alexeron watched the miko and forbidden child happily. Now both of his friends could travel through time with him. When he heard that his sensei was coming, he yipped and jumped on Kagome's shoulder to wait.

"Oh no!" Both youkai turned their heads to watch Kagome's face twist in panic. "If Inuyasha sees you here, he'll get mad and accuse me of stuff I don't have time to do!"

Hiei wanted to smirk at the possible implications of her last statement, but he could only scowl at quickly she fell back into the role of the lovesick girl who tried to please Inuyasha . "Kagome, you –"

Before he could finish or Kagome could try to push the forbidden child down the well, Inuyasha burst through the tree line, face set in a scowl. Hiei nearly attacked the hanyou, but Kagome's expression became as indifferent as his own and she placed a hand on his sword arm. "Don't, Hiei."

He gently pushed his blade back into its sheath while glaring at the hanyou, who was growling at him with a hand gripping Tetsusaiga's hilt. "Hn. If he attacks me, I will kill him." He saw Kagome nod from the corner of his eyes, but focused on the hanyou.

Inuyasha nearly choked when he saw Kagome's nod. "You… You'd let him kill me?! What the hell?" He felt betrayed, but when she turned to him with a blank gaze, he cringed. How could he forget that she was upset about something?

"Hiei is his own person, and he doesn't take orders, though I'm surprised he stopped once." She smiled slightly in thanks at the forbidden child, who merely grunted softly. "I you attack him, I won't be able to stop him from defending himself, and I have no doubt that he would protect me, too, if need be."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to question her, but a child's cry stopped him. "Kagome!"

Hiei took one step back, out of the way of the flying fire fox that had bolted from the trees. He watched with amusement as it latched onto Kagome's neck, surprising her out of her façade. His amusement vanished when he saw the emotional pain that shone in her eyes now that the indifference was gone, even if she smiled down at the kit she had told him so much about.

"Hello, Shippo. How are you?" Shippo mumbled something against her neck, never loosening his grip. Hiei could see that he was afraid, probably of Sesshomaru, who at that moment walked through the trees.

"So you have finally arrived, Miko." The future King of Makai's expression was still emotionless, but Hiei, who could see behind emotionless masks such as his own, could see the curiosity and amusement hidden in his eyes. "This Sesshomaru did not expect you for at least another twenty-four hours."

Kagome pried Shippo off her neck and bowed respectfully to the taiyoukai, much to Inuyasha's shock and disgust. "I apologize for my tardiness, Sesshomaru-sama, but it was unavoidable. Once I received a chance to come here, I took it, though there is an uncertain amount of danger to it." She didn't want to admit that she didn't want to face Yusuke again quite yet. Returning to her full height, she gestured to her companion. "This is Hiei, a friend of mine from home." The quiet Jaganshi nodded respectfully to his future superior, and, to his shock and slight discomfort, received a faint bow in return instead of a nod.

"Kagome-sama!" A young girl, almost an exact replica of the miko, ran through the trees and glomped the older girl's leg, thoroughly distracting the group.

Alexeron waited patiently before he yipped a greeting and ran over to his sensei, circling him happily. The taiyoukai's eye twitched, but a slight smirk graced his lips as he watched his student. _|Are you well?|_ Alexeron stopped in front of him and smiled, nodding, knowing that through his cold exterior, Sesshomaru truly did care for those he found worthy. _|And the curse?|_

Alex smiled wider. **It's breaking more and more.**

_|So I see.|_ The kitsune blinked then realized the image of his true self was standing behind him, smirk in place and arms crossed over his chest. _|Can they see it?|_

Alexeron romped over to Hiei and jumped on his shoulders. **Hiei can. You're eavesdropping, aren't you?** The question was directed at the forbidden child, but the answer was already known.

_No. You were broadcasting, so I wasn't eavesdropping, merely listening._ Alex let out a bark of laughter, and Sesshomaru smirked. It was then that they noticed the questioning and curious gazes of the others, and the wary gaze of the hanyou.

Hiei smiled softly at Kagome and shook his head, indicating that nothing was wrong, and then glared at the hanyou who growled viciously. Alexeron yipped again and ran to jump onto Kagome's shoulders, causing her to laugh. Shippo giggled with her, but he still cowered away from Sesshomaru. _You should talk to the miko more often; your student and I have a bet that you'll relax around her._ Hiei smirked over at Sesshomaru, who arched an eyebrow.

_|I will, perhaps not today, but in the future.|_ The forbidden child blinked then smirked again, turning back to Kagome, who started playing with Shippo and the girl. _|That is Rin, my ward.|_ Hiei nodded, but was still wondering if she would truly stay safe – this era was more dangerous than the future.

_Are you ever worried about her?_ Hiei saw Sesshomaru blink and explained. _I know of a place where she'll be safe. There are next to no demons there besides me and my two companions; all the others, we kill. She'd be safe there, and Kagome placed a barrier around it._ The forbidden child didn't know why he was so willing to help the human child, but it might be because she minded him of his sister and the miko he had befriended.

Sesshomaru watched the forbidden child closely. _|That is the reason this Sesshomaru wished to speak with the miko.|_ He wanted Rin safe, but was uncomfortable with possibly not being able to check on her every now and then. _|Where would you take her?|_

Hiei was startled out of his reverie by the cold taiyoukai's voice, but didn't answer immediately – the knowledge of the future was dangerous. He glanced at Alexeron who paused as he ran away from Rin and Shippo to nod then continued his game. So the fox wanted to protect the girl too… Now Hiei didn't feel quite as insecure, not that he would show it anyway.

_Five hundred years in the future. That is Kagome's home, and mine._ Hiei turned to Sesshomaru to watch his reaction. Nothing. The forbidden child smirked faintly then continued. As briefly as possible, though it was still a long time, during which Kagome, Shippo, and Rin sat down to rest while Inuyasha grumbled darkly, he explained the three worlds and how youkai weren't allowed in Ningenkai. _Since she is so young, she will be able to adapt easily and will be much safer._

Sesshomaru didn't answer for a long while, watching his ward almost drift off to sleep. Alexeron trusted Hiei and approved of the plan, and the miko had already proven herself to be very caring for the girl. Finally, he released a heavy breath – not a sigh, though. _|This Sesshomaru will allow you to take her with you, but only if this Sesshomaru is assured that I am still breathing in your time.|_

Hiei had to suppress the urge to grin. _Trust me, you are more than just breathing, Sesshomaru-sama._ He didn't reveal that he was King of Makai, but his confidence reassured the taiyoukai. _You'll probably be able to tell the exact time that we come back into that time._

Sesshomaru nodded. "Very well." Hiei saw the others jump slightly at his voice, and walked back to Kagome. "Rin." Immediately, the girl stood and ran to Sesshomaru to hug his leg, smiling like there was no tomorrow.

As Hiei explained to Kagome how the girl was coming with them, all the while ignoring the hanyou's protests and curses, he heard Sesshomaru assuring Rin that he would come for her soon. Rin smiled brightly, giving Sesshomaru another quick hug before running to where Alexeron sat with Shippo.

Kagome smiled and nodded. "I can agree with that." She, too, wanted the girl to be safe, and her mother would love having another little girl around the house. She called Rin and Kitsune and hugged Shippo before bowing to Sesshomaru. Hiei nodded to the taiyoukai then turned to follow the miko.

"Oi! I didn't say you could leave yet!" Inuyasha made to follow them, but Sesshomaru intercepted him, pinning him to a tree with his claws around his half-brother's throat. "Teme! What do you want with Kagome?!"

A smirk slowly formed on the taiyoukai's face. "You have no idea of what the girl is capable of, that is your mistake, foolish little brother." Without another word, the Lord of the West disappeared, leaving a shocked and slightly fearful hanyou.

"Kagome…" Shippo had stopped waving after his mother-figure when Sesshomaru had blocked Inuyasha, and now he watched as a bolt of silver and red tore through the forest. He looked after Inuyasha with narrowed eyes.

"He's gotten meaner, especially since she came with that other demon…" Whimpering, the kit looked in the direction Inuyasha had gone, the well, and the direction Sesshomaru had disappeared in. Glancing back at the well, he began running after the taiyoukai.

He didn't realize that Inuyasha would be distracted before he ever got to the well.

* * *

"You do know that we've been gone for over an hour, right?" Kagome jerked to a stop at the forbidden child's statement, causing him to smirk. "The detective is going to rant for another hour when we get back." Kagome sighed dejectedly, knowing there was no way around it, then turned to Rin.

"Rin-chan, we're going to a place that's really different than you have seen with Sesshomaru-sama." She knelt in front of the girl and tried to explain the future to her. Hiei and Alexeron watched her talk to the girl fondly. Though it was a lot to take in, Rin was quick to learn and understand that she shouldn't speak of demons.

After about a half-hour, the four of them were ready to go back through the well. Kagome picked up Rin while Alexeron jumped onto her shoulders, and Hiei held the miko's shoulders and jumped through the well.

* * *

Yusuke was pacing the living room, trying to calm down. Despite Kurama's assurances that his cousin was fine, he was still worried. Not only was Kagome hours late, but his mom hadn't shown up and Hiei was still missing.

"Yusuke, for the last time, they are fine. If you're so worried about your mother, why don't you give her a call?" Kurama was starting to get annoyed by his friend's constant pacing, so he was relieved to see that Kuwabara was too busy playing with Buyo to make things worse.

"Alright, alright," Yusuke grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "I'll call her." Mumbling a few choice words he made sure Souta didn't hear, he walked to the phone and dialed his home number. When his mother answered groggily, he groaned. "Mom, please tell me that you're not still in bed."

"Yusuke? Oh, hi! Yeah, I just got up…" Yusuke sighed heavily, making Atsuko giggle. "Don't by mad. You know how I get at the bar." Yusuke sighed again, but gave a short 'uh-huh' in response. He definitely knew – he often cleaned up the messes. "Don't worry; I'll be there tomorrow. I'm sure Kun-loon-nee-chan will let you spend the night."

"Alright, bye, Mom. Yeah, love you, too." He hung up the phone and was about to start pacing again, much to Kurama's displeasure, when he heard the door open and the patter of paws across of the floor.

"Tadaima! And I brought someone." Yusuke immediately headed toward the door, a lecture on the tip of his tongue, but he stopped abruptly at the sight in the door, causing his teammates to bump into him.

Standing in the doorway was Kagome, with her hands on the shoulders of a girl that could be her clone. The girl's hands were tucked behind her back, and she wore a white and orange checkered kimono. What else surprised him was that Hiei stood calmly behind the girls, as if he never left. "What on earth…"

The child beamed up at their audience brightly "Hello! Rin's name is Rin!"

* * *

**AN: Well… I didn't see that coming! Expect a modern Sesshomaru, King of Makai, to make his appearance in a coming chapter!**

**Um… about my… long wait in posting this… I started writing this two years ago, as many of you know, and my writing style has changed a lot since then – I actually plan out my plot now-a-days! – so I'm trying to continue writing this without going back and revising everything. I'm trying to figure out what exactly the plot for this story is, so please give me time.**

**Thank you for reading!**


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